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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29108361">The other women</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceboundEmu/pseuds/IceboundEmu'>IceboundEmu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>LoveLink (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternative Perspective, F/M, Meiling as a supportive character, Non stalker Amanda, Sally written as an actual human being</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:33:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,914</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29108361</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceboundEmu/pseuds/IceboundEmu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>MC met Marco whilst he was trying to set up a date for Taylor, his best friend.  Marco was engaged to Sally, who discovered his Lovelink profile and assumed the worst.</p><p>What followed was one disaster of a date at a restaurant, where you'd be forgiven for believing that Sally was completely irrational.  So why did MC agree to meet up with her the next day?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Liam/MC, Sally/Marco Bottazzi, Sheng/MC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1 - Sally</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It's always been a struggle for me the conflict that supporting female characters always seem to get into when MC enters the equation, Sally is written off as manipulative and uncaring, off in an emotional affair with Taylor, Amanda is a nightmare psycho fan obsessed with her K-Pop idol and determined to let nothing stand in her way, Meiling is scheming to seize the throne and power and get her prince thrown in with the mix.</p><p>What happens when you put those assumptions to one side and start trying to put a more human face on the characters we all love to hate so much?  What if we start giving reasons for their motives that don't just drop them into "the evil anti-MC camp"</p><p>These stories, for a start.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I suppose you’re wondering why I asked you to meet me here?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Staring at the red-haired woman sitting in front of you it was on the tip of your tongue to point out that was something of an understatement.  Truth be told you were wondering yourself why you’d agreed to meet Sally at the coffee shop she’d suggested.  You’d opened the app assuming Marco was messaging you about something, to find the text sent was from his finance should have set all your alarm bells ringing, instead you’d agreed to her request to a meeting in person.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I assumed you wanted to discuss Marco and Taylor with me?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Did she flinch at the mention of their names? The emotion that passed across her features was so brief you weren’t sure whether you’d imagined it.  Her expression returned to the poker face she’d assumed as she registered, you’d entered the premises, green eyes betraying nothing as she met and matched your stare.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That would be one way of putting it, yes, and to apologise for my behaviour last night.  I wasn’t particularly mature in the way I acted.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The mask cracked, and you realised with some shock how upset she actually was at the recollection, you felt a twang of sympathy for the show of humanity.  It had been easy to paint her as emotionless and calculating whilst she just existed in Marco’s texts, putting a face to the name made her real.  Seeing her suffer made you feel guilty for the pain she must currently be going through.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I hope you know; I don’t want Marco.  I never got into this wanting to take him from you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She nodded, acknowledging your statement, before hitting you with a bombshell of her own.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t love Taylor.  Not in the same way he loves me.  But I don’t know whether I love Marco either, I just don’t know how to tell him we’re through?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Whatever you’d imagined her saying, those weren’t quite the words you’d envisaged.  Putting the whole mess of Marco and Sally to one side you couldn’t help but feel for Taylor, knowing he’d essentially wasted ten years pining for a woman who saw him as being no more than a friend whatever relationship status she was in.  You’d told him last night he deserved better; he’d echoed the sentiment back at you.  You waved to attract the attention of the waitress, when she came over ordering a latte (you thought better with coffee) and trying to assemble a mass of questions into some sort of logical order.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can I put you and Marco to one side for a second and focus on Taylor?  He’s the reason I got into this in the first place.  Does he know you know how he feels?  Where do you see your friendship going if you end it with Marco?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You could have kept asking questions, you certainly had enough of them.  Instead, you forced yourself to push them aside to focus on the answer she gave to the first of them, deciding you could shape your next questions depending on her response.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No, he’s got no idea it’s so painfully obvious, I suppose I just hoped he’d find someone else and transfer onto them, settle down, be happy.  But he’s never managed to maintain a relationship, it’s like he holds them to an impossible standard…he’s comparing them to me, isn’t he?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You nodded the affirmative, watching her expression twist further into misery at the realisation.  She drew a deep breath, almost like a sigh, before she moved to answer your second question.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“If Marco goes, then I have to cut off contact with Taylor too.  Otherwise, he’s just going to continue hoping for something that won’t happen.  I don’t want him to spend his life pining for me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was on the tip of your tongue to point out the conversation was about ten years overdue.  Sally looked to be doing a good enough job of cutting herself up over this, far be it from you to twist the knife.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can see why you’re struggling.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She looked up in surprise at your admission, you shrugged at her.  Marco had mentioned in your conversations Sally spent a lot of time with Taylor attending events they both found enjoyable (sharing similar intellectual interests), his departure would leave a void in her social life.  Unless Sally was struggling with the amount of time she spent apart from Marco in the company of his best friend?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You think I’m worried about what I’ll do without him?  I’ll survive, it’s Taylor I’m worried about.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Your coffee turned up, you played for time by taking a sip of it, wincing at the gritty texture that implied it had started life as a packet mix, rather than being fresh to order.  Sally saw your discomfort and chuckled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I suppose I should apologise.  The drinks here are awful.  I just didn’t want to invite you somewhere nice and then spoil the place for you if this had turned nasty.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, she’d been expecting you to turn up and play the injured party in this?  You felt curiously comforted by her admission she’d been expecting the worst from you, just as you had been from her.  In different circumstances you got the impression she could have been a good friend.  Your meeting being in the middle of a train wreck of a relationship breakdown hadn’t been the best setting to inspire female solidarity, both of you had formed your opinions on a text conversation with Marco.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Nice, if we make this a regular thing remind me to take you somewhere with terrible food so I can claim revenge?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You could just try ordering a cake here, I promise you won’t be disappointed.  Their “Rock Cake” is a surprisingly accurate description, for all the wrong reasons.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That made you laugh, even as you made the decision to abandon your “latte” to one side after one mouthful.  You’d been surprised when you entered that the place was so quiet during a lunch hour, Sally’s words were starting to make you see why that might be the case.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So how did you come to be aware about the presence of such a gem of a place?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There had to be a story behind that somewhere.  You weren’t disappointed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Marco brought me here a while back.  For once I’d convinced him to come to an art gallery with me, it was clear he was bored out of his mind there, we were hungry, ended up in here because it looked quiet, regretted it…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She trailed off into silence, the cloud of misery descending again.  You guessed her choice of words wasn’t just down to the choice of eating venue.  Your own date with Taylor had provided insight into how uncomfortable it was to be somewhere with someone who clearly didn’t want to spend time in the same space, though at least you had the benefit of a separate home to return to.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Have you tried talking to Marco about how you feel?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That was great, lead with a platitude.  Sally must have seen you cursing yourself, your own poker face wasn’t half as impressive as hers had been initially.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’ve talked to Marco, I read the conversations.  If you can’t get though to him writing it down how do you think he responds when you’re trying to talk to him face to face? He’s got an answer to everything, most his own family sayings, which get pretty wearing when you hear them repeated endlessly.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This was sounding like Sally was gearing up to admit something, you remained quiet, letting her vent.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Every time we see his parents, or mine, the questions are the same, when am I going to settle down and get married and start popping out grandkids for them? Why does a woman need to run her own business? Why can’t Marco provide for us both so I can settle down and run the household like a nice little wife?  You know what’s worst? I have to sit there and take it, because nothing I say can justify it in their eyes, and Marco just sits there and lets them, then he buys me another “apology” present.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She broke off, you offered a napkin, noticing that her eyes were brimming with unshed tears.  She took it wordlessly, dabbing them away roughly before they could spill before screwing up the damp tissue paper and abandoning it on the table.  In addition to her eyes reddening her nose had also taken on the same unflattering hue, she checked her face in a hand mirror, cursing at the vision it showed her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That sounds like hell.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You were now apparently competing for understatement of the year.  You carried on decided the best course of action to repair this would be bearing some of your own, family induced scars.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“My parents hit the roof when they found out I’d had a hysterectomy.  It was the only way to stop the agony I suffered each month, but their biggest objection was that in some way it made me less because I couldn’t fulfil my “womanly duty” of having babies of my own.  Damn near disowned me when I said I’d foster or adopt if I decided I wanted children.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sally gave a rueful smile at your admission.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You want children then?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You thought over the question.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Maybe, if I found someone to settle down with, maybe not if we were happy together on our own.  But not to satisfy someone else’s agenda of what my life should be.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You thumped the table to illustrate your point, causing the salt and pepper to jump, as well as spilling latte across the table.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know Marco would like children.  But they don’t fit in with what I want, does that make me selfish?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Only I think, if you never talk to him about it and decide what you’re going to do with the rest of your lives.  But you’re in a limbo at the moment, neither of you seem particularly happy with where you are, but neither of you know what move to make to fix it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You worried you’d crossed the line with your response, but Sally seemed to think over what you’d offered.  You knew it wasn’t your place to lecture her or Marco on what they needed to do to resolve this once and for all, but Marco using you as a confidant whilst claiming to be setting you up with Taylor wasn’t helping.  He’d probably be annoyed that she’d gone behind his back to arrange to meet you.  There was no doubt at some point he’d log into Lovelink and see her message to you, and where you’d agreed to meet, which meant…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sally, what the hell is going on?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Right on cue, Marco made his entrance, much to the interest of the staff at the counter, who you realised were watching proceedings with interest and must have been listening to most of your conversation with Sally.  You had to turn around to look towards the entrance where he was standing, realising that Taylor was also tagging along with him, looking at you with a horrified expression that indicated he was several steps ahead of Marco in the idea of why you were meeting.  Behind you, Sally took another deep breath, obviously steeling herself for whatever she was about to say.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m talking to someone you decided was a perfect match for Taylor.  I wanted to get to know her better, then we discussed some other things I need to talk to you about.  But first…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She rose from her seat for the next part, which you realised was the point you were going to get a front row seat to Taylor’s heart breaking.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“…Taylor, you’re a really good friend, but I can’t care for you in the same way you care for me.  You deserve someone who can love you…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She didn’t get any further than that, Taylor reacted as though she’d slapped him, spinning on his heel and fleeing the shop as though the hounds of hell were after him.  Sally looked distraught at his reaction, though she had enough presence of mind to stop Marco, who moved to follow his departed friend.  You shot out of your seat, dropping a ten dollar note to cover the cost of your coffee, pausing in the doorway to fire back over your shoulder,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m going to go and find where Taylor went, you two talk.  Maybe somewhere slightly more private than here?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That accomplished you didn’t bother to wait for a response, pushing the door open and jogging in the direction you’d seen Taylor take.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2 - Amanda</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Now it's the turn of our favourite k-pop stalker no. 1 fan Amanda.</p>
<p>Bear with me, this one starts very much with Amanda being Amanda and MC being MC.  </p>
<p>Hopefully at some point they'll grow up and start acting like adults.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How can you think you’re suited to date Liam when you don’t know the first thing about him?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not for the first time since the commencement of your “interview” with Amanda did you have to grit your teeth, dig your nails into your palms and remind yourself that answering with biting sarcasm would just result in you being vilified across the internet.  Amanda was the elected president of your boyfriend’s biggest fan-club, what you said her would be repeated, probably verbatim, for the other fans to pick over and pull apart at their leisure, Liam had assured you that the interview was being recorded for your safety, and that he’d be waiting in the other room to break it up if things went too far in the wrong direction.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“My relationships are usually marked by me not knowing anything about the person I’m going to be dating.  I find it’s usually an important part of the relationship getting to know them.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You mentally congratulated yourself on the calm and rational argument you put forward in defence of the question, which was short lived considering her next attempt at a body blow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sure that works if you’re dating someone of an equal social standing.  But Liam is an idol to millions, how can it be you don’t know anything?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You smiled politely, even as your blood boiled at the insinuation.  Playing for time you took a sip of water from your glass and practiced your breathing exercises, willing your voice to remain steady.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I hear what you’re saying Amanda but let me pose a question to you.  The “idol” Liam, known to millions, is a persona sold by his management company.  Could anyone say that they know the actual Liam?  Even a fan as dedicated as you could only say you know as much about Liam as he’s prepared to release to the public, you’re essentially saying I should hold him to that.  I’m not dating Liam the “idol”, I’m dating Liam Park a living, breathing human being.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you repeated it to yourself often enough you were sure you could convince yourself that Amanda was asking these questions as a concerned fan.  But she, like hundreds, if not thousands of other fans, had been vitriolic in spewing hatred at the mere thought of you dating someone they assumed was theirs alone, any effort you needed to make to get them to accept your presence in his life had to start with this woman.  Besides, lying to yourself had never been your style and the aggressive manner of questioning Amanda had adopted, almost from the get-go, would have had you wondering why Liam hadn’t broken the door down if you hadn’t suspected he was probably being kept at bay for now by his own management team.  This was your trial by fire, if you couldn’t put up with this you might as well throw the towel in and head home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Pretty words I’m sure.  But how do you respond to accusations you’ll get in the way of his music?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You muffled a snort at the question, convinced that laughing in her face would be the best way to get her back up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“From what I understand from Liam I’m the sole reason he’s still making music, because he was going to leave until he met me?  I think at this point my absence from his life would be the biggest impediment to him making music?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As much as you were starting to enjoy yourself you knew it was rude to keep answering her questions with questions of your own.  She seemed to be bristling more than you were as you refused to rise to the questions, and you knew you weren’t providing her with any ammunition she could use to fuel the fires of indignation of Liam’s more obsessive fan base.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You decided to turn the questions round on her to see if you could convince her that your presence in Liam’s life wasn’t a slap in the face to her.  You didn’t doubt Amanda had decided that she was the only one who could genuinely make Liam happy, which would have worked perfectly in the plot of a teen movie but didn’t hold up to scrutiny in the cold light of day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What are you doing?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Amanda probably was reasonable in asking that question, considering you’d risen from your seat, taken a spare chair and jammed it under the door to impede immediate access, because you were sure the management would start trying to break the door down as soon as they caught wind of what you were about to say.  Still, you had to try it, you’d deal with the consequences later.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Giving myself enough time to say what I want to.  Then I’ll have to deal with the consequences, which will probably involve me being hastily dropped by Liam and having to go and hide in the Antarctica with the penguins.  I hate being cold, it will be hellish for me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was a thump on the door and the chair shook violently, both you and Amanda jumped at the sound and you momentarily felt sorry for whoever had bounced off the door, which was obviously stronger than it looked.  You half hoped it wasn’t Liam, he’d probably be more annoyed with you if he were bruised up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know enough about this life already to know I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.  If Liam isn’t being trotted out to perform for his fans he’s practicing, attending meetings, or a million of any other scheduled activities to promote his image.  If that’s not tough enough he’s then got to cope with a complete invasion of his privacy, he can’t hold a social media account because they keep getting hacked, So, called “super fans” turn up at his home and accost his family, they break into the places he’s staying whilst he’s sleeping, resulting in his having to be moved in the middle of the night to a safe location.  All the while these same people think that they’re a perfect match for someone who, quite frankly, is so terrified of it all he shakes in my arms when confronted with the prospect of it?  Who, when he finds someone how might offer him some comfort then has to watch them jump through the same hoops and be torn apart across the internet forums by armchair experts who believe their knowledge of him from what they’ve read somehow qualifies them to pass judgement?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Well, that seemed to have shocked her into silence, you supposed that had come across with quite a lot of vitriol, the door shook again but still held firm.  Amanda had gone white at the force of your fury, she fairly radiated terror.  You settled back on the sofa and drained the glass of water, wondering whether you should remove the chair to assist whoever was out there, deciding against it because they’d probably hurt themselves if they took a run up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You really love him, don’t you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was probably the first genuine question Amanda had asked since entering the room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes Amanda, I can honestly say I do.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The door shook from a third blow, you both ignored it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why did he pick you though?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You shrugged.  That was a question you supposed only Liam could answer, though he’d probably be coached with an “appropriate” answer by his PR team.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t know, honestly I can’t answer for him.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Amanda sighed at your response, offering you her notepad so you could see the next question someone had written on there.  You raised an eyebrow at her, wondering whether either of you could bring yourself to commit it to words.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Do you know how much I spent on gum?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Apparently, you were deviating from the written questions.  That certainly wasn’t what you’d read.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Too much?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Curse your need to be flippant.  Thankfully, Amanda ignored it.  She reached out and turned off the voice recorder capturing the interview.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I brought every pack of gum in my town to win that competition, you know how they advertised it?  You could get a private meeting with the idol of your dreams.  Then I turned up and my idol was in a room full of other people.  But the management were really nice, they said Liam really appreciated how loyal his fans were.  Then I asked for some one-on-one time with him.  But they said you didn’t want Liam spending time alone with his fans.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Why was that so easy to believe? You were the perfect scapegoat, Liam’s disagreements with management policy could be written off as the demands of his possessive girlfriend, you’d been offered to this girl with a target painted on your back.  You realised the blows to the door had suddenly stopped, management might not be so keen to get into the room with what you (and hopefully Liam) had just heard.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Then I turned up and you suddenly had a face to hate?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She nodded miserably at your suggestion.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You didn’t seem to know anything about him! You didn’t even know who the Maknae was! He was all over you like a rash!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s Min-Jae and I can assure you, he’s like that with everyone he knows.  Before you take that as a slight, he’s also terrified of the psycho fans.  Has been since he woke up to find one standing in his room watching him sleep.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You sighed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“When I first started seeing Liam, he assured me that most of his fans were calm, rational people who would love me and defend me against the tiny portion of his fans who take things too far.  Problem is that small portion of fans is often the most vocal online, they whip up a frenzy in more moderate elements, which the band then see when they go online.  Their view of their fanbase is distorted by this influence, so now most of their experience is coloured by the terror they experience at the thought of confronting it face to face.  Couple that with the very real threat they face from people prepared to break and enter or commit trespass…you’re all tarred with the same brush and they won’t interact closely with any of you for fear of adding fuel to the fire.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, what can we do as fans now then?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You looked across as Amanda, who looked thoroughly miserable at your rather brutal feedback on how the band viewed their fanbase, still, the truth hurt, you thought privately.  Now you had the president of the fan club asking you how best to proceed?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The best start?  Stop supporting the behaviour of those who take it too far.  Educate people that if they want their boys around for as long as possible it’s in their best interests to make sure that they feel safe and happy, that they have time to themselves to recover from the stress of performing and life on the road.  Then maybe, just maybe, when they start to feel safer, they might start letting the fans get closer to them again.  For anything more in depth than that? I’ll need to talk to Liam and get back to you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Amanda’s smile lit up the room.  You guessed that was as good a note as any to end the interview on.  Motioning at her to follow, you got up from the seat and headed towards the obstructed door.  Removing the chair, you opened the door to find yourself face to face with most of the band, who scattered at being caught, leaving you with a rather dumbfounded Amanda.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“This isn’t the strangest thing I’ve caught them doing.  But that’s a story for another day.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You headed to the exit to escort her out.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Then it was the turn of Meiling</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3 - Meiling</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Finally it's the turn of Meiling Liu, who I thought would be the hardest to write (that award goes to Amanda) who, once I turned her entire concept on her head turned out to be immense fun to write, though I fear I may have delved further into making this saga a bad b-movie.</p>
<p>MC needs a drink.  I need to rest.  Why on earth am I heir to a country whose name I have to google every time I need to spell it?</p>
<p>Enjoy, questions and comments welcome, but this arc is finished for now, with the possibility of adding more at a later date if I follow these up.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>No one had ever said you were going to enjoy dating royalty.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Your entire experience so far had been the equivalent of a two-week roller coaster of emotions, from initially meeting Sheng via Lovelink, attending a single date at one of his properties stateside, to being flown out to Pallay to see the country he was destined to rule over.  You’d veered between wondering whether this was all a dream, to the sensation of being trapped in a living nightmare with every facet in between.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A simple afternoon tea with the mother of your boyfriend had seemed like a good icebreaker when Sheng had suggested it, explaining that his Mother was the more mellow of his parents and if you made a good impression on her she’d help smooth the way with meeting his Father.  You’d been naïve enough at the time to believe him, till you realised you’d be navigating this on your own, and his Mother hadn’t come unaccompanied, she’d brought with her Sheng’s intended bride, who, from your conversations with Sheng you’d been led to believe was an ungodly nightmare to be around.  His mother had then proceeded to sit there and glare at you in icy silence, till an appropriate period of time had passed and she’d excused herself as having “duties to attend to”, leaving with a particularly barbed comment about you getting to know his fiancée better.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Once she’d swept from the room you and Meiling Liu had eyed each other in awkward silence.  You’d felt (as the queen had probably intended) completely out of your depth, Meiling looked like she was casting around for something to say.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I hate Sheng.  I don’t want to marry him.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You had to check you weren’t gawping at Meiling’s comment.  Whatever you’d been expecting her to say it hadn’t been along those lines, you’d expected her to stand up and fight you for him, that was the way it went in the movies?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Excuse me?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She frowned at the question, before it dawned on her why you might be so confused at her response.  She immediately broke into laughter, which only served to confuse you further.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh God.  Let me guess, he makes out I’m falling over myself to get married to him, right?  We’ve despised each other since we first met.  My opinion of him hasn’t improved with age.  You’re welcome to him, he’s an insufferable ass.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You started giggling yourself.  Whatever his mother had intended, leaving you alone together, it certainly hadn’t gone in the way of the catfight she’d probably expected.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That sounds like there’s a story behind it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You wondered whether she’d give you anything new about Sheng to think about, your knowledge of him was limited to what he’d shared with you during your encounters, even those, brief as they were, were enough for you to realise that Sheng had some serious behavioural issues to overcome if your relationship was to have any chance of succeeding.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m going to guess he’s already told you about what happened at his eighteenth birthday party?  Or Jin has, they’re both as thick as thieves.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was Jin who’d shared that tale with you, but you nodded to indicate you were aware of the basics of the tale.  Her face twisted in displeasure at the memory (and possibly the thought of how she’d been portrayed) before she offered you her perspective on what had happened.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I guess he missed out the part where it was supposed to be a celebration of my birthday too?  We were born in the same month, so it made sense we would have a party together, as our engagement had just been finalised.  Instead, he jetted off to Germany with all of our friends, plus his staff, I got to spend it alone.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Put that way it sounded like much more of a dick move than Jin had made it out to be.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“But what about asking to go somewhere that his staff wouldn’t be able to attend?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You remembered that part of the story, Meiling let out a bitter laugh.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“My idea was to turn up at one of those clubs for a few hours to show our faces to the press, then move on to another location where they could all party together.  Sheng wouldn’t even let me have that, they set out to purposefully humiliate me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Following that you both fell into silence again, staring at the tea in front of you, neither of you seeming to have the appetite to eat.  It felt like Meiling was owed an apology, but it shouldn’t come from you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Any other words of warning?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You finally broke the silence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Aside from the obvious run away as fast as you can and don’t look back?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You both laughed at that, before Meiling’s expression hardened to something more serious.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’ll never be good enough in his parent’s eyes.  They arranged for me to marry him and they don’t like me.  My presence is tolerated because my parents made themselves invaluable in dealing with our neighbouring country, Meneki.  Do you know about Meneki?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Something about her enquiry or the way in which she phased the question sounded strange to you, you felt as though she was studying your expression as you answered.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s they country you’re always at risk of war with, right?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Whatever she’d been looking for, it didn’t look as though she’d found it, she looked distinctly troubled as she settled back down, biting her lip as though considering what to say next.  It was on the tip of your tongue to make further enquiry, but her expression changed as though she’d come to a decision.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s the one, my parents have been running interference on their side of the border to keep their attention diverted away from making incursions into Pallay.  It’s given them a lot of power in the Royal Court, and me being of comparable age to Sheng?  My luck out I get assigned to marry him and secure it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sounds like a bad soap opera.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was the closest comparison you could think of, Meiling snorted at the insinuation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Trust me, soap opera is believable compared to some of the things that go on around here.  There are times it feels like we’re living in a time warp, you should see what happens when some noble gets themselves knocked up, or knocks up one of the servants…what’s your family like?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There it was again, the sensation that the question, slipped in at the end of her response was in some way important.  You caught her eye and held it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You know something you aren’t telling me, don’t you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The question was slightly more direct than you’d intended.  Meiling flinched at the insinuation but held your gaze.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I think, unless my parents research is very much wrong…you might be part of the Meneki Royal family.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That knocked you sideways.  The words she’d uttered seemed to take on a physical presence in the room and even you, oblivious to the protocols of being a Royal, could see how that could be a massive impediment to making any sort of future with Sheng.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shit.  Mother’s side of the family by any chance?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Your father’s side of the family could trace their roots back for generations in the town you’d lived, your mother’s side of the family had emigrated to the states before she was born, and your Grandfather had always been tight lipped about where he’d spent his life before meeting your Grandmother on the ship that had brought them over to the states.  Meiling nodded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, you do know?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She hazarded a guess; you shook your head in the negative.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Just basing it on what I know of our family history.  My Grandad always went vague and forgetful whenever anyone tried to bring up the subject, eventually we got the message and stopped trying.  Tea just isn’t strong enough for this is it?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You’d drained your cup again you realised as you went to take a mouthful, your mouth suddenly felt very dry at the knowledge you’d just been made party to.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can’t wait to see Sheng’s face when he finds out.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yeah, that was another problem to be dealt with.  There wasn’t a scenario in which you could envisage that going well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m going to need a stiff drink before I attempt that particular mountain.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Meiling laughed at the face you pulled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Maybe you could just let it slip during sex?  Sheng’s stupid enough at the best of times, you could always make out he misheard if he kicks off, assuming why you’re saying gets through.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You couldn’t help but giggle, though you did feel bad for Sheng to be the butt of your jokes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is there any way I can convince you that Sheng isn’t quite as bad as he’s made himself appear to you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Personality transplant not being an option? No? Well, first thing that would improve my opinion of him would be the removal of the imminent danger of having to spend the rest of my life married to him.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You could get behind that.  Though you couldn’t see in any way the news of your new royal status would be helpful if the two countries were such mortal enemies…if nothing else it would be the fastest way to ensure Meiling and Sheng found themselves consigned to married hell together.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Your parents know too then?  How do you know the King and Queen don’t know already?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Meiling rolled her eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“My parents know, but they’re not likely to use that information unless there’s a danger of our betrothal being scrapped…then they’re likely to throw it out and watch the fireworks go off.  If the King and Queen already knew? You wouldn’t be sitting here drinking tea.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You could really use a strong drink at this point.  Everywhere you looked there were brick walls to run into, and the way out of the maze wasn’t making itself immediately apparent to you.  You must have looked despondent, Meiling made a sympathetic noise as she noticed your distress.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Don’t worry! We’ll work something out, just don’t set foot outside the palace for now.  One of the servants is bound to have tipped off the press and we don’t need anything to hit the papers yet.  Sheng is bound to want to take your relationship to the next level, if he’s adamant then convince him his bedroom is the best place to do it?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was your turn to roll your eyes at her insensitivity.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m not going to use sex to lead Sheng round by the nose.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Meiling shrugged.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s the method the current Queen favoured to snare her husband.  You’d just be in keeping with Royal behaviour.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She offered you a salacious wink to punctuate the statement and you groaned, burying your face in your hands.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You were screwed, the most you could hope for was getting out of this alive.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Next up, Amanda.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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